WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, hosting Augsburg in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 MIAC | 3-2 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (1-1 MIAC | 4-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals put five players in double figures—including a game-high 20 points from Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) and 19 from Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.)—as Saint Mary's rolled to an 85-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Macalester last Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Augsburg: Joe Zangel scored a team-high 24 points in leading the Auggies to a 79-70 conference win over Gustavus last Saturday at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• December 6, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals had the Auggies on the ropes in the game's final three minutes, rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit to take a 50-49 lead. Unfortunately, Augsburg came off the ropes swinging, scoring 16 unanswered points—including 13 free throws—to escape with a 65-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 24, 2015 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals, fueled by a four-point halftime advantage and an 8-2 run to open the second half, boasted a commanding 41-31 cushion three minutes into the second half. The Auggies, however, shifted that momentum, using an 18-6 burst to take their first lead of the game, 49-47—a lead Augsburg would not relinquish in handing the Cardinals a 73-58 setback at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are off until next Wednesday, when they host Carleton in a 5 p.m. MIAC contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Augsburg: The Auggies hit the road on Saturday, heading to Moorhead, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference game against Concordia.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After five straight road games, the Cardinals are in the midst of playing four consecutive games on their home court. … Saint Mary's improved to 2-0 on its home court with last Saturday's 85-70 win over Macalester. … The Cardinals have now scored 80 or more points in all three of their wins this season—including a season-high 85-point effort in last Saturday's 85-70 win over Macalester. … The Cardinals' 85 points vs. the Scots marked the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's tossed in 87 in an 87-80 victory over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … Saint Mary's boasted a season-high five players in double figures against Macalester last Saturday­—led by
Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) with 20 and Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) with 19. Saint Mary's also got 14 points from Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.), 12 from Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.), and 10 from Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.). … Kaiser has scored in double figures in all five of the Cardinals' games this season—including netting 20 or more points twice. … Kaiser scored a career-tying 22 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 24. Kaiser's 22-point showing vs. the Knights on Nov. 24 marked the second time in as many meetings with Martin Luther that the Cardinal senior has scored a career-best 22 points. … Smith-Pugh's 19 points and Gleason's 14 against Macalester last Saturday were career highs. … Kaiser and Smith-Pugh head into Wednesday's game against Augsburg averaging in double figures at 16.0 ppg and 13.6 ppg, respectively. …  Swiggum scored 10 points and hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds against Martin Luther on Nov. 24 for his first double-double of the season and ninth of his collegiate career. … Swiggum, who collected a team-high seven rebounds against Macalester last Saturday­ has now hauled in 48 rebounds in the Cardinals' first five games (9.6 rpg)—including 13 against Crossroads on Nov. 13 and 16 vs. Martin Luther on Nov. 24. … Swiggum is averaging 9.4 ppg and owns six games of 20 or more points in his collegiate career. … As a team, the Cardinals—who tied their season high with seven 3-pointers vs. Macalester last Saturday—have knocked down 32 treys this season, led by Kaiser with nine, and Gleason and Braden Walbeck (Fall Creek, Wis.) with six each. … Saint Mary's drained a season-best 22 free throws vs. the Scots. … Smith-Pugh and Gleason share the team lead with 13 assists each, one more than Kaiser. … Saint Mary's has outscored its first five opponents 373-350—including 188-170 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's 85-68 loss to St. Scholastica on Nov. 29 snapped the Cardinals' season-opening two-game winning streak.
 
Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Auggies' 79-70 win over Gustavus last Saturday was their fourth win in five games this season. After opening the season with three straight victories, Augsburg dropped a 69-65 decision to St. Olaf in the teams' MIAC opener on Dec. 1. … Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of four straight road games for the Auggies, who do not play at home again until Jan. 6, when they host Hamline. … Augsburg boasted four players in double figures against Gustavus last Saturday, led by Joe Zangel with a team- and season-high 24-point effort. … Zangel was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the first half vs. GAC and also added a team-best eight rebounds. … Collin Olmscheid (17), Brett Rasmussen (12), and Kevin McKiernan (11) also finished with 10 or more points vs. the Gusties. … The Auggies head into Saint Mary's Wednesday boasting four players averaging in double figures—Olmscheid (16.2 ppg), Ben Glover (15.5 ppg), Rasmussen (12.4 ppg), and Zangel (12.4 ppg). … With his team-high 24 points against Gustavus, Zangel became the fourth different player to lead the team in scoring through five games. … Zangel owns the team's lone double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and adding 15 rebounds in the Auggies' season-opening win over Simpson on Nov. 20. … Augsburg has knocked down 31 3-pointers in its first five games, led by Olmscheid with 11. … Zangel and Olmscheid are the team's rebounding leaders with 37 and 31, respectively, while Richie Perea owns a team-high 21 assists. … The Auggies, who are averaging 80.6 ppg, are shooting 78 percent from the free throw line (112-for-143). … Augsburg scored a season-high 92 points in its 92-70 win over Crown on Nov. 24, while also netted 87 points in beating Buena Vista 87-86 a day later.